Getting over the quarantine blues

Amidst social distancing, political drama and a perpetual feeling of isolation, it's difficult to find the motivation to do anything at all. Even with considerable motivation, extracurriculars and other passions have been cancelled or put on hold. 

Pessimism can become all-consuming, but by turning our attention to activities that focus on personal growth and concentration, we can find purpose in the sluggish days and satisfaction in being alone. Take advantage of this situation to pursue new hobbies and find productivity in our endless free time at home. As actress Ellen Burstyn said, "What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be."

Get creative

Artistic trends have been on the rise as creative influencers take time to develop new hobbies during their quarantine. Whether this be online thrifting or baking, the break gives us a substantial amount of time to work on and perfect an interest that we never seem to have time for. 

Quarantine Activities

Photo: Activities that make being alone less lonely

Activities that make being alone less lonely Photo courtesy of Catherine Lo.

Wearable art has become a prime target for imaginative artists, including junior Kinga Nagy. Nagy spends her free time beading together her own necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. "It's something anyone can do, because there are patterns everywhere over the internet," Nagy says. "You can start with really simple ones, then you can start making anything."

Sophomore Camille Wyatt embellishes her clothing with embroidery and creates patchwork designs from her collection of fabrics. "I have a bag of fabrics and old clothes that I usually sift through until I come up with a design. I've embroidered things like flowers or Nike signs onto jeans or sweatshirts," she says.

Freshman Claire Hwang prefers to keep her style simplistic. She uses the clothing in her closet as a guide to sew personalized pieces. "I trace some of the clothes I already have along the seams so that I can make them in different fabrics with slight altercations," she says. Hwang explains that making her own clothes benefits both her and her community - she can make clothes for a better price and support local fabric stores during the pandemic. 

Hwang also invests her time on her calligraphy page on Instagram, where she connects with other artists and practices her hand lettering. "You can find so much more knowledge from talking to other artists about their techniques and tips," Hwang says. 

Hwang experiments with different lettering styles with paints and brush pens. Like Nagy, she emphasizes the easily-accessible practice sheets for calligraphy online. Artists on social media post patterns and guides for any artistic craft on Instagram, Youtube, and other online blogs. 

Invest time in self-care routines

In addition to getting a sufficient amount of sleep, or at least more than during the school year, students can spend time taking care of their physical and mental health.

As long as social distance and appropriate measures are taken into consideration, students have the opportunity to enjoy the spring weather outside through activities such as hiking, jogging and biking. Nagy bikes through various trails in Md., and even biked to Washington D.C. and back. "[In Maryland] we’re lucky as far as nature - you can basically go anywhere with your family, and even without a car, you can still go to a few places," she says.

Nagy also uses her time outdoors as a means of spending time with her family. "Making bonfires has cute summer vibes - literally I feel like I'm on summer vacation. We have a firepit in our backyard, so I made a fire. We were just sitting there talking about life and telling stories," she recalls.

In addition to exercising outside, online programs have made their way into the spotlight. Social media influencers are gaining traction from daily exercise videos that viewers can do inside the house. Junior Alex Jiang follows Chloe Ting's exercise programs with a group of friends to motivate each other.

Continue academic preparation

While academics may be the last thing on any student's mind while spending time at home, quarantine opens doors to many online courses in topics that students may never have the opportunity to invest in at school. "During the school year, you don't really have time to explore your interests. [Over quarantine] you can learn some things, like I'm taking a course on machine learning," Jiang says. 

Whatever it may be, find activities that resonate with you, and take advantage of the extended free time that we have. "I think that it's really cool that this time is allowing people to experiment with new things and discover creative sides of themselves that we wouldn't have time to discover otherwise," Nagy concludes.